2024-07-27 13:34:39
Heavy rain meant the outdoor courts could not be played on Saturday.
Earlier, Novak Djokovic defeated Matt Ebden 6-0 6-1 at the rooftop Chatrier Court. Ebden began his long-awaited bid for the Olympic gold medal.
Serbia’s Djokovic has won almost every title in tennis but has never surpassed the bronze medal he won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
He defeated Australian player Ebden in just 53 minutes, his first singles match in two years.
Primarily a doubles player, Ebden knew he faced one of the toughest tasks in tennis – as his A social media post from the day of the draw shows., External
It turned out just as he feared: trailing 0-6, 0-2 after 30 minutes, he looked to have lost his mind.
He tried everything – including an underarm serve that Djokovic still returned – and then jokingly handed his racquet to a group of people in the crowd to see if they could do any better.
The biggest cheer of the afternoon came when Ebden finally led 4-1 in the second set.
Ebdon pulled his shirt over his head and celebrated to the crowd, who gave him a standing ovation before an amused Djokovic tapped him on the shoulder as they walked to their chairs.
Djokovic may want to face slightly tougher opposition to find his rhythm on the court, but he would still welcome a quick win.
He could next face long-time rival Nadal, although the Spaniard needs to beat Hungary’s Marton Foscovic to advance.
Alcaraz made rapid progress in the singles, defeating Lebanon’s Hadi Habib 6-3 6-1, while Daniil Medvedev defeated Australia’s Lynch Hijikata 6-1 6-2.
Britain’s Jack Draper, Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Katie Boulter had to wait an extra day to start their singles matches as the outdoor courts were unavailable for play on Saturday.
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